Sunday, April 11, 2010

It has seen better days.Both seat cushions have tears in them and a little bit of the fabricon the arms is worn out.It cost a lot and is a really comfortable, good quality (except the fabric) sofa,so I don't want to get rid of it.The only problem is, it will cost $500 plus fabric to reupholster it, soI bought a slip cover for $49 from Ikea thinking it might work.It almost did.The back fits perfectly.From what I can determine it has three problem areas.Two of them I think I can fix, but the third one I would need to hire someone to fix.First the skirt on the front isn't quite long enough.I think that would be an easy fix since the slipcover is for a sofa bed it has no middle section, so I could just undo the seams and add a little to each sideor just add a whole new skirt (just the front section).That would be pretty easy.

Second the arms aren't quite long enough, but if I add a little bit of fabric to the seam pictured below I think that will fix that.Hopefully, cross my fingers.

The last problem is that the seat cushions are a little bit short.I would have to hire someone to either add fabric to them or sew new ones altogether.That would cost me $60 to $80.It's weird that the back cushions fit great, but the seat cushions don't.

Here's a side view.

It's a risk to start cutting it up. What if it doesn't work? Then I'm stuck with a slipcover I can't return and still have to pay to have it reupholstered or a custom slipcover made. I really want a slipcover, so I can take it off and wash it.Another option is to have someone sew me some new seat andback cushions and leave the body of the couch as is.I don't know if that would look silly though.I don't know what to do. What would you do?

5 comments:

Hmmm...that is a tough one! I am all about returning in my house!:) but if you are confident in your sewing abilities, why not give it a try? Wish I could sew! Any other places to look for a slipcover that might fit better??? Not much help huh??:)Enjoy the day!

Thanks for stopping by. I see what you mean. I have made several slipcovers from scratch and I don't know if I would tackle taking that one apart or not. Maybe if you could find the right white. Good luck and I would love to see photos of whatever you choose to do.

I have that Ikea sofa that slipcover is meant for but they don't have a fabric that matches what I have going on in the room it goes in. My plan is to take the slipcover and use it as a pattern for a new slipcover. I know you've said that you can't sew a straight line but I really think you could tackle this project using the slipcover for a template. And the bottom cushions don't have to be made professionally. On my previous sofa, I made the bottom cushions except that I left a long flap for the back where the zipper would go. I just tucked the excess fabric into the back of the sofa and voila! You could also use velcro or strips of fabric/ribbon sewn on the edges and then tied. No one will see it. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!